Famous Mule!

A few weeks ago Mark had spotted the closing date for the Scotsman newspaper freeze frame winter photography competition had been extended so I entered the frosty mule photo I took at the beginning of January.  The successful photos were coming out as two supplements in Fridays and Saturday's paper, with prizes for first to third.  

Imagine our surprise when Treacle got third place (winning me a Canon Selphy ES40 printer which looks both useful and fun, very excited about that!)

I do feel a bit of a fraud looking at photos where people had climbed a Munro in a blizzard or scaled a frozen waterfall just to get the right shot and what did I do? - Wandered to the end of the garden shouting to Mark "can you just feed the horses yourself, the light is fantastic out here"!!

The Scotsman's Picture Editor says - "The picture of the mule is just good clean fun, it reminds me of a saucy seaside postcard, if it wasn't for the snow!  But, it is also a very well taken picture and worthy of a place in the top three."  

So yes, neither the mule or myself can get our heads through the door...!!

"Mule laughs in the face of freezing temperatures"

Just about all set...!

Good news today - Arrayan's leg scanned perfectly, so back to work he goes!

All work and no play makes for dull boys, so both the stallions were swabbed ready for the breeding season.  We swabbed Bubbles too and as she was in we used her to tease the boys - Arrayan wasn't convinced, clearly thinking she wasn't his taste but he didn't want to offend the fat chick.  Nico on the other hand thinks she is lovely and was more than happy to chat her up!!

About nine weeks until our first foal is due and then it's all go!!

Bubbles.

Just been and picked up a new girl "St Helen's Regency Bubbles" - something a little bit different for us and perhaps not exactly Mark's taste (well I can't see her foals playing much polo!) but what a nice mare.  Previously a champion driving mare with wins at The Royal, the Royal Highland and the Great Yorkshire.  Her full sister won the private driving at the Royal Highland in 2008 and Burleigh 2009 and was then 4th in the Harness Champion of the Year at HOYS.

She currently looks like a palomino welsh D does in winter (beige and hairy) so this is a photo of her from the spring from Gaynor.  The plan will be to get her swabbed and then she will go to Nico, hopefully for an early 2011 foal.

Kites...

Peggy (aged 88 and a quarter!) and I entertaining the horses with the aid of a cold east wind!

Brilliant photos!

First photo is Su with her new big brothers Ari and Fire, looking particularly tiny but then the boys were that size last year and look at them now.  A very happy Su!

Then we have JR trying to look manly in pink, another one looking very settled in his new home.  Love the sparkly white socks, though I suspect they will be the bane of Gemma's life once the show season starts!

Noooooooo!!!

Its trying to thaw, arghhhhh!!  So we used that as an excuse to run about in the snow, throw ourselves in drifts and make snow angels!!  Errr like the mature hard working adults we are!

Its a shame the battery went on the wee camera after these were taken...

Firstly the whippet thought, "why am I getting cold feet" and launched himself onto Marks "lap" (if you get my gist!) then Mark realised that he couldn't actually get up and demanded a hand, pulling me into the drift, I escaped using him as firm footing, pushing him further into the drift.  Mark then decided to roll himself out of the drift which was a great success, picking up speed as he headed off down the hill.  I could make out faint mutterings of "help me" in the distance but to be honest I was laughing too hard to run.  Luckily he was stopped from falling off the edge and into the river by a frozen pile of horse shit.  Yeah I guess you did have to be there...

So we still had snow as the sun went down but with temperatures rising we may well wake up to mud, hope not!

Su in Situ

Su in her new home, currently sporting the hairy yak look so I'm very much looking forward to seeing her all sleek and shiny come the summer.

Su Away!!

Su has just headed off up the road to a lovely home with Claire and Doads McDiarmid in  Perthshire.  They left us a fantastic hamper of  Carse Finest meat from their farm which we are really looking forward to!

Furry Feet!

This may look like Mark is checking Mini's tendons, wrong!  He is laughing at her hairy heels.

Pitufa says "I don't know why I still talk to you"

This is Liz and Quin while the other horses were off saying hello to Mable.  Important job "guarding" the hay!

Chickens make a yard, this is favorite chook, "Noon"

Mable

Another gorgeous day here, the snow is crisp and the sun is out.  Its about minus 14 but still with gloves and wooly hat on its pretty pleasant out there.  Normally the brood mares come into the barn at weaning and stay there for the winter.  This year Mable will not settle, she's picking fights and has banged her leg, Mark and I think she'll be better out, so the rug went on and of she went!  Arab impression to the max - tail over back, high blowing and BIG trot!

She may regret picking fights when the sun goes down and she's out and the rest of the girls are in!!

Subtle...

The herd gets two bales of haylage every four days and they were due it tomorrow, "Yes" I said to Mark "they'll do another day."  

"Right" said the horses "you think so do you?" then they all amassed around the gate.  Haylage covered in snow no longer counts, if we have to dig for it, we are not playing.  

Then they heard Joe with the tractor and off headed Mule and Cherry at speed, as he gets out to do the gate he is greeted with a honkey donkey heee haw and a lot of whinnying, then as the tractor turned up the drive they got all over excited and came cantering up, bucking and squealing telling the others "We bring head in charge of haylage" bow down to the clever mule and its trusty side kick.  Joe is a seriously popular person with these horses!!

We've had a bit more snow and its lovely, all fresh and wintery and it must be so much healthier for the horses than the grey miserable winters we've been having.  I'm going to say something you won't hear very often on this farm - there is no mud... NO MUD!!!!

Chamfron By Dand as a yearling

Chamfron By Dand in the Autumn and in the snow last week.

Can't get over how much like his dam he looks in the snow photo and how much he has grown!  Lovely to get updated photos of the "furry children"!!!